


Thy Kingdom Come

by dragonfllly



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Eventual Relationships, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Knight!Levi, Multi, Prince!Eren, Slow Build, plot heavy, prince!AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-20
Updated: 2016-09-19
Packaged: 2018-08-09 21:59:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7818844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonfllly/pseuds/dragonfllly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What is a King without his Kingdom? What is a Knight without his Liege? Eren and Levi struggle with their duty and destiny as they grow up. Set in a world similar to canon but Grisha Jaeger is advisor and Royal Doctor for the House of Reiss and the Ackermans are ordained to serve and protect.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. My Liege

**Author's Note:**

> I am so excited about this first multi-chap fic. Prince!Eren *slams fist on desk* sign me tf up. He is to die for. I pledge my allegiance right now. Fight me. I edit constantly so uh... don't be concerned /judgemental if you feel like the content /notes with this fic change ever so slightly over time.  
> My sideblog tumblr for fanfic related stuff will be under the same username aka [dragonfllly](http://dragonfllly.tumblr.com) if anyone wants to find me (or you know, send me hate cos y'know... are you even really an ereri shipper until you've received anon hate? jkjk).

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren meets his Knight in shining armour. Or you know. A dumb feather hat.

The room was embellished in gold. Levi had never seen anything quite so excessive in his short 15 years on Earth. He had heard that the sun shone on the surface but it seemed like the sun was trapped within the surface of each and every one of the objects in the room. Things - things that he could not even put a name to, gleamed and sparkled from every corner.  His shoes practically sunk into the plush patterned carpet as he made his way towards those gathered in front of him.

His new clothes felt slightly stiff and too big. He was wearing a hat with a goddamned feather for god’s sake. This is what they wear Kenny had said. That he could live with. It didn’t make much sense to him that he would have to take it off as soon as he stepped foot within the palace though. What was the point he had wanted to protest, but he took it off and placed it under his arm nonetheless.

He couldn’t help feeling small, even more so than usual, as he stole a quick glance at the high ceilings and the chandeliers that hung from them before fixing his eyes on the audience before him. He would have felt entirely out of place if he did not have Kenny guiding him, a firm hand on his shoulder.

They paused in front of the courtesans gathered. Levi could feel their unconcealed appraisal on him and fought a strong urge to scowl – he was not some animal. There was a momentary pause in the murmur of an undecided nature as a bespectacled man approached them. He was not grand but it was apparent that he was the leader as he raised a hand in greeting and the crowd fell silent as he spoke.

 “Welcome friend. Thank you for bringing him here”.

 Kenny inclined his head slightly in acknowledgement as they drew to a stop. That must be Grisha then.

Grisha turned back to the courtesans. Levi’s gaze followed Grisha’s and he saw now, that he was closer, the child stood at the centre surrounded by this protective circle. They had gathered round a boy wearing a white shirt. His blue jacket was embroidered with gold thread and he noted a pair of white kid skin gloves on his hands. The kid had an inquisitive look about him as he stepped cautiously away from the group to join Grisha.

“Eren, my son,” he placed a hand on him, “we must ensure that you are protected in order to safeguard the future of humanity. Today, is the day you will be assigned your own guard. I present Levi from the ancient line of Ackermans, ordained to serve and protect.”

Levi was surprised by the boy he was supposed to serve but he did not let it phase him. On cue, and without hesitation as they had practiced many times, he bowed his head, right hand clasped over his heart and the other behind him. “My liege.”

First impressions are important. Kenny had impressed that upon him. There were times when rules were meant to be followed and this was one of them.

Eren leaned forward, reaching out a delicate white gloved hand and grasped Levi's own still clasped in salute.

“Delighted to meet you Levi,” he spoke carefully and shyly despite his position.

Grisha continued to make a grand speech with what Levi supposed to be eloquent words, listing impressive achievements and speaking of duties, responsibilities and honour. Levi strained trying to keep up. It sounded like a language intelligible to him but the way the words were arranged? Courtesan speech sounded like another tongue entirely. Thankfully, things were graciously short and the cues were obvious and dramatic. Finally, it looked as if things were drawing to a close. Grisha whispered a few words in Petra’s ear, Eren’s minder, as the crowd dispersed tittering to themselves and each other. As they were dismissed, Eren took Levi’s hand in his, guiding him out of the room as Petra followed behind them.

Kenny quirked an eyebrow before beginning when he heard the doors shut behind them. “Pardon me for asking sir, but isn’t Eren… a bit young to need a protector? The kid's still lisping by the looks of it. Thought he’d be older”

He sighed, “he is young but the burden of being my son rests heavily on his shoulders. It would not be an over-exaggeration to say the hope of humanity rests upon him… There are many that would wish to bring him harm. Besides,” he fixed Kenny with a look, “I would have thought that Levi is a bit young to be serving as anyone’s protector.”

The man smiled with a vicious glint in his eyes that had Grisha a shifting and sorry that he had brought it up. “Oh, I’m sure sir, that you will not be disappointed with his abilities. I have trained him myself after all and the Underground forces them to grow up fast.”

“Yes,” he said recomposing himself, and touching his collar unconsciously– Kenny tended to have people in his presence checking whether all their limbs were still intact and even Grisha was not immune to this. “Just know that if any harm comes to Eren, both our worlds will pay dearly. Hopefully this will be a beneficial arrangement for both of us.”

“Thank you then, for your trust and indeed, I hope so.”

Grisha tried to steer the conversation into less dangerous grounds, “this will be good for them. I am unable to spend as much time with my son as I would like.”

“Oh, I’m not sure my Levi is much company. A mere street urchin to your prince. Not sure we Underground folk are as refined," he rolled the words off his tongue. 

“Eren is not yet…” Grisha started, unable to tell whether Kenny was mocking him or simply making conversation, “I am sure Eren will make every effort to welcome Levi, as will I. You are free, of course, to meet with Levi as often as you please, but for now he will live in the House of Reiss and perhaps it would be best if he does not go to the Underground so that he may settle well here.”

 “That is no problem. I understand, I hope you can do well by our family.”

 

* * *

 

The meeting was adjourned quickly much to Grisha’s relief. Although the Jaegers were not part of royalty, they were as close as it got, intertwined with the inner workings of the capital and his own position was as an advisor and physician to the royal Reiss line. As such Eren was treated as an honorary prince and it seemed only a matter of time before he would become a fully-fledged King upon marriage. It was well known throughout the kingdom that the child was destined to marry the child of Reiss.

Eren examined the sword sheathed at Levi’s side. It was slim and beautiful. A parting gift from Kenny Levi would tell him later. It seemed slightly too big for his small stature but he would grow into it. At the moment, it almost trailed across the ground but this did nothing to lessen Eren’s awe.

“Wooow,” Eren’s eyes widened into shiny orbs. “So cool! This is your sword? I’m not even allowed to use the proper swords yet! Annie says I’m not even good enough at hand-to-hand combat but I can progress to a blunted sword maybe… maybe some time next year.”

He reached out a hand to touch it, the cool silver metal looked so inviting. He was taken aback when a hand was placed over its hilt blocking his grasp. He was not used to things being denied to him.

“My liege, this sword is to protect you.” _And not a play thing._

 Eren stopped suddenly, demeanour changing in an instant. Levi froze too, assessing the situation and wondering whether he had spoken out of turn. In deep shit so soon - Kenny was going to kill him. Eren spoke carefully, gaze unwavering with a deliberate calm.

“Are you always this serious?”

Had he offended him? He could see now that maybe he had overstepped some line. After all, what was it that Grisha had said? Live to serve and protect. This kid was to be King someday and he had just denied him. He looked into Eren’s eyes trying to decipher his expression. If this was the first test… he had surely failed it by not reigning in his pride.

“I’m sorry, my Liege,” he cast his eyes down.

Eren furrowed his brow further, eyes fixed wordlessly on him.

“Have I displeased you my Lord?” Levi tried again, under his intense gaze. He swallowed his own dissatisfaction ready to give up his sword. A sour relationship would spell a nightmare for them both. His train of thought was disrupted as Eren raised a hand to tug dolefully at Levi’s slightly-too-big shirt sleeve.

“S’not, my Lord or my Liege... please, it’s just Eren.”

So this… this was what had unsettled him. He had been shitting his pants for a moment thinking he was to be thrown out of the palace within the span of a day. He feigned annoyance and in all honesty he hated the fact the kid had just forced him into mental acrobatics trying to think about what he had done wrong, but he could not conceal the fact that this amused him.

 “Tch," he rolled his eyes, "ok Eren.”

This was enough to have the boy smiling again who seemed not to detect his tone, laden with sarcasm. The kid tugged on his sleeve again, leading him down the the corridor with a bounce in his step.

“Thanks,” he mumbled looking back at him, “I may call you Levi?”

 “That’s my name isn’t it, what else were you considering?”

 “I just wanted to make sure is all. There are all sorts of high and mighty sorts that want to be addressed with Lord so-and-so, Lady whatjamacallit…My friend Armin Arlert told me Ackermans are one of the most powerful families in the Underground and I don’t know much about the Underground at all… so I thought… nevermind, I don’t really remember. Now that I think about it that would be weird,” he mused. “You’re my knight right? What’s life like in the Underground, I’ve never been there,” asked Eren side-tracked.

 “It’s nothing. There’s nothing to tell. The Underground is a shit hole,” Levi shrugged.

“Oh my goodness”, Eren exclaimed quietly, face aghast. He looked towards Petra instinctively. Thankfully, Petra was busy receiving bed linens from a passing maid. “Phew. We uh… we don’t say words like that here, it’s uh… not befitting of one’s status and a bad example to the populace.”

“Ok, I’ll work on that my lie…” he stopped himself in time.

 

* * *

 

After walking up two flights of stairs wider and taller than any he had ever encountered Eren led Levi eagerly into a room decorated simply with wooden furniture.

“This will be your room,” Petra informed him. “It’s next to Eren’s and the bathroom is across the hallway. It’s largely been unused, since it used to be Eren’s playroom.” 

Petra placed the freshly laundered sheets on Levi’s new bed. The headboard doubled as a bookshelf which currently stood empty. There was a chest of drawers made of dark wood at one side. Beside that was a beautiful full-length mirror and a stand where a green cape was cast haphazardly. There was also a solid writing desk. A few pictures hung on the wall which seemed of no real significance except to make the room seem less empty. Everything was neat and tidy but covered with a thin film of dust due to disuse. There was no real centerpiece to the room but most impressively, the desk was located in a semi-circle alcove where a large bay window overlooked the extensive grounds of the palace. The vantage point was dizzying and Levi stepped cautiously towards it.

He almost leapt out of it when Eren stepped beside him.

“Uh, welcome to your new home Levi.”

Petra began to usher Eren out. “Now, now Eren, you have got to finish your work. Your father instructed me to ensure you revise before you meet your tutors tomorrow.”

“But, but we just met Levi and --”

Petra hushed him soothingly, “you will have lots of time to spend with Levi in days to come but how will you rule a kingdom if you don’t even know where your kingdom is? Mr. Smith will be so unhappy if he hears you have not memorized even one of the royal prefectures.”

Eren pouted a little.

“Come on, don’t give me that face, should have thought of that before spending the entire weekend riding. And, we should let Levi settle in,” she stated half in indication to Levi and partly to assuage Eren.

He made his way obediently towards the door now, feeling like he’d been robbed of his new best friend.

“We’ll see you tomorrow Levi,” Petra said a hand on Eren to steer him out of the door, before popping a head back through the door “I have been informed that you will be allowed to join in with the classes for the courtesans’ children.”

Levi grimaced at the very idea – well he’ll deal with that tomorrow. Petra did not notice his expression as she shut the door with a click – it seemed like closing doors was half her job, the other half was trying to convince Eren to do things he did not want to do.

“First things first,” he muttered rolling up his sleeves.

He wiped all the surfaces until they were gleaming with some of the cleaning supplies he had found in a small broom closet down the hall. He didn’t know how else he was supposed to settle in; he had few worldly possessions to speak of or sort out once he had hung up his dumb feathered hat and his sword.

Exploring the room he soon discovered that he had been given multiple sets of clothes. Even though he was older than Eren his frame was slight and it looked like many, mainly simple things like white shirts, had been left in his possession. The green cape hung haphazardly in the corner fit him nicely and he admired his reflection in the mirror. The clothes were plain but they suited him fine.There were also a pair of boots by the door and he was glad he had some footwear other than the tight pointy shoes he had come in for the occasion. He felt like an elf in them and probably looked like one too. Rifling through the desk he found pads of writing paper, an inkstone and blotting paper.

With everything clean Levi settled down into bed after a quick shower. It was nightfall before he knew it and he sank into his fresh sheets. He appreciated the wonderful smoothness against his skin. Despite the odd sensation of moonlight flooding into his room for the first time and the peculiar feel of simply being in a room that was not his own, he fell soundly asleep. It had been an arduous journey but he had arrived.


	2. Welcome to the House of Reiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Class is in session and Levi is the new kid at the Palace; he can barely remember how to hold a pen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahaha, I had so much fun writing this - I am a loser that laughs at her own jokes. I thought no one was reading this fic but then I realised there are actually subscribers on my fics that I didn't see before. HI GUYS.

He had been awoken by his protesting bladder and had had no intention of intruding, but on turning back from the bathroom he had hesitated for just a moment in front of Levi’s room and his feet had led him of their own accord. Eren carefully opened the door and crept quietly into the room, content to sit down next to his bed and muse upon all the adventures they were no doubt bound to have together.

Levi awoke to the unfamiliar sound of birds chirping, the feel of sun on his skin, and a pair of unblinking green eyes which had him awake a lot faster than would have been otherwise. If he were a cat his hackles would have raised.

“You’re awake,” Eren announced as if it was his own personal triumph.

Levi calmed down and his features softened. It was only Eren. He had not woken up even once during the night, which was nothing short of a miracle for him. Having slept well for the first time in a long time he could not bring himself to be annoyed... especially when his face was lit up like that.

“G’morning Eren,” Levi replied sleepily.

“You remembered,” the boy said happily.

“I suppose I did,” he said returning a smile.

“Do you like your room?” Eren teetered between shy and animated

Levi never got a chance to answer. Petra swept into the room close on Eren’s tail as always.

“Eren, there you are, you are not supposed to be—“

He shot her an accusing look, “you said I could spend time with Levi after I finished my work. Then you said it was late and I could spend time with Levi tomorrow morning. Can’t I spend time with Levi now?”

“Ok, but you better be spending time together getting ready for class,” Petra relented. She eyed Levi suspiciously wondering if he had anything to do with the little princelings’ early morning escapades but held her tongue.

Before he knew it Levi was being coaxed out of his bed and dreamland by an eager Eren. By the time they reached the breakfast table he was no longer asleep.

“We have our breakfast here every morning except on special occasions when we dine with Father.”

Levi was relieved to see that the dining room was not half as extravagant as the room where the courtesans had gathered yesterday. It was comfortable. He swung his legs over the low bench, seating himself next to Eren who was already grabbing an empty plate for each of them. On the table was freshly made porridge with a swirl of honey and dried fruit, bread and butter, an assortment of fruit, boiled eggs and milk. Eren noticed Levi had not moved a muscle whilst eyeing the food set out in front of them.

“Don’t hold back. Here.” Eren handed him a piece of bread and some butter. “It tastes good with butter.”

“Thanks.” The bread was warm, soft and indeed delicious with butter. “This is good,” he said, mouth half full of bread.

Despite the encouragement Levi did not eat much.

Petra reappeared as they were finishing breakfast to escort them to class after they had cleaned up. The classroom had two rows of wooden seats with small desks paired to each one. Large shelves with books of every shape, size and colour lined the walls on shelves that reached up to the ceiling. At the front was a chalk board with the faded writing of previous lessons. Three of the seats were occupied by other students.

“Ahhh, so the Princeling finally makes his grand appearance, with oh? Who is this? His little handmaiden?” one called out, his arm slung around the back of his chair as he watched them enter from the back of the room.

“Shut up Jean,” he replied but with no real venom. "We’re not late, Mr. Smith isn’t even here yet. Stop being a jerk so early in the morning.”

He took his seat next to a small blonde boy and Levi followed his lead sitting behind the boy called Jean.

“Whatever," he said leaning forward now over the back of his chair at the new kid sat behind him. "Introduce us to your new friend then.” The others in the classroom looked over inquisitively.

“This is Levi...” Eren said unsure of how to end his sentence.

“Pleased to make your acquaintance, Jean,” said Levi, remembering the name with which Eren had just addressed him. To be honest he was not sure if he was pleased or not.

Jean’s face twitched in annoyance. “That’s Lord Kirstein the Third, Son of Viscount of Rose to you.”

Definitely not pleased then.

“Ignore him,” said a boy with brown hair and a light dusting of freckles across his nose sat next to Jean. “He’s just—”

“Lord Kirstein the Turd,” Eren snorted. “Levi, this is Marco, son of Earl Bodt” he gestured to the boy who had just spoken, “and this is Armin Arlert, related to the House of Reiss,” he gestured to the boy on his right.

“My grandfather’s brother’s son’s wife is Historia’s mother’s sister,” the boy said precisely.

“Right... hi,” said Levi, a little affronted at the information overload. Eren had not been kidding when he said that everyone was a Lord so-and-so.

Eren turned back to him, “Erwin Smith, Royal Tutor oversees the education of the courtesans’ children that live here at the palace—“

“Aren’t you forgetting someone,” said a figure leaning dramatically on the door frame, face obscured by shadows. That someone had a red cape and was curiously wearing 3DMG despite the fact they were attending a class last Levi had heard.

Everyone groaned collectively.

“Bozado.”

“No,” He protested as he flounced into the room clearly dissatisfied. He immediately lost any impact his entrance may have had as he almost tripped over his cape but recovered to shoot a glare at them all with his arms crossed tightly. “Give me my proper introduction.”

No one offered and an awkward pause filled the room as the others looked at each other. Jean lay his head on the desk with a small thud.

“It is I, Oluo Bozado. Son of Bozado the Brave the Commanding General of the Military Police who lead the fateful Phoenix Offensive which protected the Kageshina district from the invading Titans,” he said all in one breath. He looked at Levi. “You will address me as Bo-za-do the Bold,” he drawled out each syllable of his name.

“Enough Bra-va-do, take your seat,” said a stern voice mimicking him, causing the class to titter. “There are to be no titles in the classroom, long, short, or ridiculous. Here we are equals.”

Oluo had the decency to look embarrassed as he swept to his seat next to Jean.

“Good morning class, we have a new member today. Levi Ackerman, ordained protector,” he kept it short and simple. “You may call me Mr. Smith. I hope we can all welcome Levi warmly to the palace and show him the graciousness of the House of Reiss.”

Erwin Smith was a good teacher and the lesson was going as well as could be expected. During paired work he made his way through the students to ensure Levi was getting a hang of things. Eren helpfully showed him the texts they had been studying.

Education had not been a priority in the Underground. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had held a pen and his writing was shaky and barely legible as he tried hard to make decipherable notes. He made splotches across his paper and blurred the writing of the barely dried ink as he moved his hand across the page.

“Shit,” he said under his breath.  
Erwin pretended he hadn’t heard and slipped him a new piece of parchment.

The names of the prefectures all sounded so foreign to him - _“Stohess District, Yarckel District, Orvud District_ “ – he copied them down but they meant nothing to him.

He was especially frustrated that for the ridiculousness of Oluo and Jean, they were the ones most likely to raise a hand to answer the questions posed to the class. Armin seemed to know the answers too but he chose to write them down, his pen working swiftly across his page. Armin would offer an answer every so often, just before Mr. Smith interjected, when no one else raised a hand. Marco was happy to let the others take center stage but did not seem to be struggling and Eren chose to answer the questions that interested him the most.

“Right again Kirstein. I am glad we are well versed in the districts within the City Walls. As a bonus, can anyone tell me the explored areas of Titan Territory?”

It was Eren’s hand that shot up first.

“Yes sir, the Survey Corps ventured South from the Shiganshina District and they found a forest of large trees, they named it the Black Forest. Actually areas of the North are more favourable for exploration because the Titans tend to congregate in the South.”

“Very good,” Erwin looked around pausing for a moment. “What about the Underground District?”

“There’s nothing there. It’s a wasteland, home to rebels and outcasts, that do nothing to support humankind,” Oluo sneered without bothering to raise a hand.

“Oh, you’d be surprised,” said Erwin. “Anyone care to enlighten Bozado here?”

The class was silent, even Armin’s pen slowed but his eyes darted expectantly over to Levi.

Levi spoke for the first time in class, “there are thirteen districts Underground, as many as there are above ground. The Underground has an economy supplying the land above ground with metal ore and gas vital to the construction of 3DMG. Which if I am not mistaken”, he said turning to Oluo pointedly, “you are wearing.”

Oluo furrowed his brow in annoyance, running an unconscious hand over the grips of his 3DMG.

“Correct Ackerman. The Underground and those that live above ground should live in harmony and respect each other. The lack of address of the land and peoples of the Underground has long been a shortcoming of our curriculum.”

 

* * *

 

 

After class, they filed out and made their way to the halls to lunch, sitting down in a room similar to where they had dined for breakfast but with a larger table and even more food.

Levi naturally moved to sit with Eren.

“Hey, what do you think you’re doing, mole boy?” Oluo said angrily. It was obvious that he had made an enemy.

“Do you have a problem Bozardo?” Eren stepped in.

“I have no problem with you Jaeger but keep your servant in check,” he huffed, “What’s he doing sitting with us?”

Jean’s ears perked up at the commotion and decided to join for the heck of it, “Ahh, so Ackerboy is eating with us huh? I don’t see why he should either. I’m surprised they let him into the Palace.”

Eren fumed on Levi’s behalf but Levi stayed silent, observing.

“Well they let a horse in, didn’t they Jeanbo?”

Jean shut up, ears turning pink at the mention of his childhood nickname. They had happened to overhear his mother calling him once and would not let it go once they found out how much it bothered him to hear anyone else say it.

Armin, who had been quiet up till now spoke. “Well actually they have a point.”

“What?” Eren said incredulously.

“Up until the last year Underground folk were barred from entrance to the Palace. Not that courtesans didn’t find a way round procuring uh… entertainers from the Underground,” he mumbled quickly.

“Whose side are you on?” said Eren exasperated. He wasn’t helping the situation at all.

Levi knew what the boy said to be true but kept decidedly silent not wanting to draw attention to himself.

“Nothing. No one’s. He should eat with us,” Armin glanced over at Levi. “After all, the court should exist in harmony and provide an example to the populace.”

They settled down to lunch and Eren sighed glad it was over. Although they were “all equals here”, there was weight to your words when you were related, even distantly so, to royalty. It was especially influential when the person you were arguing against had a stick up their ass about protocol and status as Oluo did.

The rest of lunch passed uneventfully. Marco made small overtures of friendship by asking Levi relatively safe questions like, “how are you finding the Palace food?

 

* * *

 

 

In the afternoon, Levi found himself stood outside. He followed the lead of his classmates who stood stiffly, hands behind their back. Even the class clowns were behaving themselves. It was combat class, coincidentally Eren’s favourite class. He had spoken excitedly about Annie yesterday and he supposed this was the young blonde woman surveying them now. Another man stood by her side with dark circles and an intimidating stare although it did not bother Levi.

“Welcome Ackerman, address me as Annie,” she said pausing next to him as she walked past. Moving back, she addressed the class. “Shadis, is joining us today. He will be observing our class so be sure to show him your best. Today, we continue with our study of hand-to-hand combat. Pair-up.”

Promptly, Marco paired up with Jean.

Levi looked to Eren who whispered apologetically, “Sorry, Armin is usually my combat partner…”

“Hurry up,” said Shadis impatiently.

Oluo turned to look at Levi as if he were prey.

Annie demonstrated the technique with Shadis. Even though it was only a demonstration, it was clear that her technique was impressive. Her stance was narrow and steady, protecting her upper body and allowing her to effectively dodge attacks. In just a few moves she took down Shadis who was almost twice her size with a deft sweep of her legs.

They stood next to each of their respective partners as it was demonstrated. As engrossed as they were in the demonstration, Levi did not notice Oluo shift his weight and kick swiftly and powerfully until his feet were swept out from under him.

“Oops, just practicing,” said Oluo mischievously before quickly retreating.

Shadis was not one for jokes. He made his way over to the commotion and stared at Levi crumpled in a heap on the floor.

“What are you doing boy!?” he shouted in close proximity to his face. 

“He tripped me,” Levi replied, an edge in his voice and an expression which showed he clearly did not appreciate the man towering over him. 

Shadis took another look at the boy trying to place him. It was his job to evaluate the students of the Palace. So far he had seen nothing particularly impressive from any of them, too spoilt to be of any use to humanity though time would tell.

“The boy from the Underground,” he concluded out loud.

It was the last straw for Levi. 

“Yes. And what of it?” he spat out.

Fire met with fire and Shadis grabbed his collar to hoist him up angry that any upstart would dare to take such attitude with him. Levi’s arm came up as a reflex breaking Shadis’ grip. He swiftly elbowed him in the neck before ducking and going close to the ground to spin and floor Shadis for the second time in one afternoon. His speed was amazing and a collective gasp came from the class. Levi straightened up dusting off his dirtied clothing wondering if he would get in trouble and finding it hard to care.

Annie stood by the side watching the scene unfold. Her stoic demeanour did not change but a smile played on her lips.

“Well done Ackerman, excellently executed.”

A few sniggers came from the class.

“Not bad Ackers,” said Jean going to give him a friendly punch to the shoulder as Levi made his way back into the rank and file before he thought better of it.

“That is the worst nickname I’ve heard in my life, are you still trying to insult me?”

“Do you realise you just knocked out the Former 12th Commander of the Survey Corps,” whispered Marco under his breath.

 

* * *

 

Back in his room, Levi placed his bag carefully on the ground and made a face as he considered looking over his illegible notes and the copies of the books he had been given. He would rather face Shadis again. It was not that he doubted his own intelligence but he felt like he had no hope in hell of catching up to the rest of the royal brats. He sat in front of his desk with his pile of notes anyway, wondering whether he could absorb the information through osmosis. Seeing the fading light still filtering through the window he thought he better make a start.

He was not surprised, when the scuffling of shoes alerted him to the presence of someone by his door.

Eren knocked lightly and peeped in at the figure of Levi sat at his desk, his head propped up by his elbow.

“Hello Eren,” he said without turning.

He stood quietly at the door waiting for an invitation to enter.

“Thanks for standing up for me today.”

He took this as his invitation. Shuffling in and shutting the door behind him. He sat on the floor by Levi’s bed as if this was his spot now.

“S’ok. I know what it’s like to be the new kid.”

“What do you mean?” Levi looked over at him from his desk.

“I used to live in Shinganshina.”

Levi looked at his lopsided map. The concentric circles of the walls almost overlapped each other and the entire picture was cramped into one corner of the page but he could make out that Shinganshina was the Southern-most district. 

“Shin-gan-shi-na,” he sounded it out, testing the word out. He was more than a little confused. Eren had lived in Shinganshina?

“Yeah, actually… I have a bit of an accent,” he said twiddling his thumbs self-consciously.

“Oh, I didn’t notice.” He guess he could hear a slight lilt in Eren’s voice but he hadn’t given it much thought. Everything on the surface was new to him.

“I came when I was eleven.”

Levi was thrown off by this new piece of information. This kid, destined-to-be-King, dressed in hand-tailored clothes with not a hair out of place, courtesy of Petra’s furious brushing, looked like he had been born with a silver spoon in his mouth and a pair of white kid skin gloves on his hands.

“Oh,” he said eloquently.

“I miss it. In Shinganshina there were fields of grass that go up way past your knees and the sun was always shining. It was warmer there.”

“But you have fields here too? The grounds?” The greenery beneath his window certainly extended as far as he could see when he could bring himself to look at it. His vertigo had not entirely subsided.

“It’s not the same. It’s so… everything is straight lines and all the flowers have stupid namecards telling you what they are. The grass is never allowed to grow beyond 3 inches.”

“That’s stupid,” Levi agreed. He could not imagine such human effort being afforded to keep some grass in check. 

Eren stood up and looked at Levi’s notes scattered across his desk. Seeing the map he stifled a laugh.

“Here, let me help you.”

He grabbed a fresh sheet of parchment and redrew the map. It would not earn any awards for artistry but it was considerably better than the cramped and off-center map Levi had drawn.

“Look we’re living here in Mitras,” he drew two little stick figures and labelled them Levi and Eren, “200,000 other people live here in the inner most district and capital. Jean the Turd is from here, the Trost district,” he drew a small turd.

It was a lot easier with these visuals and Levi gratefully accepted his help.

\---

Eren remained in his spot on the floor holding the crudely drawn map in front of him as he quizzed Levi. "Last question - What is the Northern Walled City of Sheena?"

“So that would be Orvud right? The place where you first saw snow?”

“Yeah," he said, silently pleased that Levi had remembered his dumb story about snow that he had got shy about half way through retelling. "Uh, what else is important about it?”

“The Royal House of Reiss is from Orvud?” said Levi in a questioning tone. 

“Correct Ackerman,” said Eren in a deep voice, he drew down the paper covering his face to waggle a pair of comically drawn bushy eyebrows in imitation of their royal tutor. Levi's stoic serious expression changed dramatically as he laughed at the accuracy of the parody . 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to say that actually a lot of the information included in this chapter is accurate if anyone was at all curious. I checked most of the stuff on the Attack on Titan Wikia but other things I have obviously embellished with a little creative license. (Apparently the perfect height of warm-season lawn grasses is 1-3 inches guys.)


	3. Unbelonging

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's not easy being the new-kid when people think you might murder them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “I feel sorry for anyone who is in a place where he feels strange and stupid.”  
> ― Lois Lowry, The Giver

Oluo showed him a begrudging respect after that. Even showing up a week later with an undercut that looked suspiciously like Levi’s own but saying nothing of it as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Levi wished that he had just stuck with being obnoxious. It was odd to see the guy looking towards him for some kind of approval.

His other classmates warmed to him; they were at an age where newcomers were easily accepted into the fold. Loyalties and grudges after all, were both forgotten and formed on a day to day basis. Levi read his class materials slowly, having to reread some of the longer sentences more than once, sometimes more than twice, but he made up for what he lacked in prior education through discipline and determination. It helped that Eren was more than willing to share the notes he had made.

However, there were still things he could not quite get used to.

“Don’t they have potatoes in the Underground?” Jean asked raising an eyebrow.

“Of course we did,” he scowled, “potatoes come from the fucking ground.”

Eren had long given up changing Levi's speech and the rest of the class never tired of hearing such crude language, they practically encouraged it. Somehow Levi managed to reign it in within the earshot of adults, although some that did hear were willing to largely turn a blind eye to his generous use of expletives. The others said little at this exchange between Jean and Levi but it was obvious that they too were curious about why Levi had not touched his food.

“It’s just that, we don’t usually make it like this,” he said, dragging his fork through it.

“What you didn’t mash potatoes?” Jean questioned again, braver, or perhaps stupider than most.

Levi stirred the fluffy potatoes in front of him. It wasn’t that it didn’t smell heavenly, made by the cooks with a knob of a butter, a splash of milk and mashed into a smooth lump-free dish but… Levi somehow missed the lumps. It had never occurred to him that mashed potatoes were _meant_ to be lump-free. Hell, they had added cubed carrots and peas to make it lumpier.

It wasn’t just this. Everything here was so rich. He actually missed the simple dishes comprised of beans and vegetables that he had not thought twice about before. The cooks didn’t seem to cook the vegetables with the same attention they paid to the meat and poultry that were the mainstay of every dinner. The vegetables here were a bland addition that were often over cooked in the rush to get dinner on the table.

Levi sighed and shovelled a spoonful of hot mashed potato in his mouth barely tasting it and not caring that it burnt his tongue.

Even the water here tasted different, leaving a metallic aftertaste in his mouth.

His troubles did not exactly end at the different customary habits of Surface dweller consumption.

He had not realised he was some kind of novel attraction. Servants from all parts of the palace, and even some of the courtesans, seemed to make it over to the West Wing to catch a glimpse of the kid from the Underground. It was not exactly a stealth operation when a different servant rapped at his door for the third time that day to clean his room which he kept near spotless. 

Whilst Eren’s questions about the Underground had been innocent and came from a place of genuine curiosity - in fact it was downright adorable the way he would fiddle before asking something that had obviously been on his mind - he could feel a veiled loadedness to the questions of others. They asked questions without considering what their words were implicating, probing at his private life or outright insulting him: where does your family get its money from in the Underground; do they have teachers and doctors there; do they have plumbing?” He rarely answered, preferring to play dumb. 

They left him alone when he was with Eren but he was not always around. Sometimes it went beyond crude curiosity. Suspicion coloured his interactions with those at the Palace and questions were asked about his every move. Their gaze lingered on him for a little too long after the last words had been spoken and he could feel their eyes on his back whenever he ventured outside of his room. It was as if the entire place was watching him.

No one else quite got it when he brought it up.

“Why is everyone watching me?” he grunted in annoyance as he sat back down into his seat after visiting the washroom practically escorted by two guards.

“Everyone is the talk of the palace at one point or another,” Oluo was quick to answer, having heard quite a few tidbits about the newcomer in the midst and spreading some too, “gossip, after all, is the lifeblood of the court. It is a form of flattery.”

“Remember when Marco fell into the moat?” Jean muttered to Oluo but in a voice just loud enough for the others to overhear.

Marco blushed.

“Oh yeah, that was the talk of the household for a good week,” Oluo replied, apparently smiling at the memory or rather, the attention he had gained at the time for retelling it. 

“That’s not funny, I couldn’t swim back then.”

Levi ignored their chatter, they had a tendency to get sidetracked. “I think it’s more than that. Did you see how…” he drew his finger across the bottom of his lip in frustration wondering now if he was being overly sensitive, “I got asked a million different questions before he would even let me go take a piss.”

“You’re hanging out with the future Prince and you’re from the Underground,” Jean butted in, none too careful with his words.

Marco tried to hush him but for the first time Levi appreciated Jeans’ directness.

“I’m here to protect him.”

“Your allegiance has not yet been proven,” Jean shot back, his voice more serious and steady than Levi had ever heard it.

Levi glanced over at Eren and was glad that he was preoccupied. The situation was entirely too complicated.

“Is there any reason why I should be suspected?”

“It’s not so much court gossip you should be worried about. It’s court intrigue,” said Jean.

“Do you know how his mother died?” Marco asked in hushed tones, hands pulling at his sleeves uncomfortably while the rest of them huddled closer. 

“Lady Jaeger?”

“Yeah.”

“Through illness?”

“That’s the official answer.” Marco whispered, leaving his statement hanging.

“But no one dies from illness overnight, especially not when you are married to the physician to royalty,” Oluo chimed in. “They often say that courtesans die from the curse of Reiss- the curse of royalty. I guess it’s up to you to judge whether that’s an affliction or not. In the end it’s bad for for public morale to hear of assassination or murder.”

The group looked sombre as Levi's eyes grew a little wider in realisation. He filed the information away for future reference. It didn't exactly solve his current issue but he was willing to make some peace with the inquisition for the time being. 

It was one thing to be questioned and another to be followed though. He didn’t think it was just curious gossip or his imagination when he saw a long shadow drift into view beneath his feet. He knew that people were following him. He had given it a few days but after the third or fourth time he had been followed down the corridor he turned and waited, hand resting lightly on the hilt of his sword. Soon enough, a figure swayed clumsily into view.

He didn’t bother with the sword, deemed it unnecessary, but tripped the figure, pushing him hard against the wall with his forearm against his throat and putting his weight into it.

“What’s the idea?”

The man spluttered, a faint smell of alcohol on his breath. “Wh- what?” barely able to speak.

“Don’t play that game,” Levi hissed menacingly, but releasing his arm a little seeing that the man was in such a pathetic state. “What have you been doing, following me?”

“I- I… haven’t been following you.”

He rolled his eyes. “I will give you this last chance. What is your name and who sent you?”

“Please. I’m just following orders.”

“What is your name bastard.”

The man was visibly taken aback at such language being used by a 15-year-old kid, that he had for all intents and purposes, taken to be another coddled child of a royal courtesan. “H-h Hannes,” he stuttered.

Levi pulled him by his collar before thrusting him back hard against the wall one last time knocking the air out of him.

“Well ok… Hannes,” he narrowed his eyes, “let whoever sent you know that they need to get the fuck out of my business, unless they want to be a part of my business in the worst way.”

Levi turned on his heel and left. It was obvious from the beginning that the guy was clueless. No self-respecting soldier would be drinking on the job. Whoever it was, it was not anything official and it most certainly wasn’t Kenny. Levi didn’t mention it to anyone else and he found that the footsteps that had been following him everywhere stopped for the time being. He didn’t know whether to feel glad it hadn’t been any real threat or annoyed that someone would have organised such a pathetic attempt to tail him.

* * *

 

Eren knocked on Levi’s room that day after class. For the most part, they were in the same classes but there were some days, where Levi might have extra sword training or Eren would be pulled aside for extra tuition from the royal tutors. In any case, he had not seen Levi since lunch. On hearing no answer, he opened the door gently only to find the room empty.

He returned to his own room awhile trying to concentrate on his work but his ears pricked each time he heard the sound of footsteps on the corridor. After another chapter of the book they were studying for literature he could take it no longer. Swinging his legs off his chair he left his room on a mission to find Levi.

“Petra", he said peering in through the door of her office, "do you know where Levi is, he’s been gone for a long time.”

“Don’t you think you’re spending an awful lot of time with him these days?” she said carefully, putting down her pen. 

Eren remained stubbornly silent. He had not been too oblivious to notice the disapproval of Levi. He had overheard the snippets of conversation floating around court.

_“Ahh, that Underground urchin boy. I have no idea why Lord Jaeger would have considered letting that mutt in the palace.”_

_“Some token gesture of friendship to the Underground I guess. You can’t argue with results. It’s been considerably more quiet since the boy has been here.”_

_“I hear his father is involved in something big Underground.”_

_“Let’s just hope he doesn’t kill us all in our beds as we sleep then.”_

“Where’s Armin? Why don’t you go find him?” Petra asked.

“He has his harpsichord lessons.”

“Mhmm,” Petra hummed looking out of the window, “you could do with practicing your archery too… I think it would be nice if you spent more time with Jean, Marco… your peers.”

“Is Levi not my peer too?” Eren did not linger to hear her answer, a wave of annoyance rising in him, not slamming the door behind him but shutting it rather firmly as he clenched his teeth. 

He made his way round the labyrinth of corridors checking every room he thought Levi might be. Servants inclined their heads slightly as they saw the prince-to-be approaching before stepping out of the way as he walked briskly past them. After working his way around the four main floors he visited the turrets. The tallest turret was not often used but some of the others were used for the storage of things like bed linens. He and Armin had spent hours up here as children in their make shift tent reading and talking. It was some time before they had revealed it secrets to Marco, Jean and Oluo, treating it in much the same way as other children treated treehouses. It made for a great hiding place that few adults would bother disturbing As he dusted the cobwebs from his shoulders though, it was evident that no one had made it up there in a long time. The turret also offered an unrivalled view of everything from the palace all the way to the Wall and he made a mental note to show Levi when he eventually found him.

He descended from the turret to the cool basement cellars where food stuffs and the kegs of wine were kept. It was dim except for a few candles in lanterns to light the way. Eren paused for a moment in the dank basement wondering where Levi could possibly be.

The door to the cellars opened and one of the servants made their way down. The man jumped almost dropping what he carried in his arms when he saw him there.

“My goodness! Master Jaeger, what are you doing here!? This is no place for you.”

“Sorry. I was looking for my friend…”

“You mean... the kid from the Underground?”

“His name is Levi.”

“Ahh, of course. I think Petra is worried about you.”

Eren wiped at his eyes exhausted after having searched high and low and not wanting another lecture even if it was from one of the friendlier servants.

“Wait, wait. It’s ok. What’s wrong?”

“I can’t find him, and no one seems to care that he’s been missing now for hours”, his words echoed in the basement and his exasperation all the more apparent.

The man set down the stock in his arms. “It’s ok. Look, I didn’t mean to say that you should hang out with him any less. Petra has always been a little overprotective of you. I think I saw him wandering on the grounds as I was bringing in the apples from the orchard. I’m sure he’s still out there now.”

Eren recomposed himself, “Thanks Moblit.”

Eren wandered into the grounds. Why had he not thought of this before? When he felt upset this was where he went too. Despite his complaints of the orderliness of the trees which were kept in straight lines and artificially maintained, there was something lovely about moving in the dappled sunlight under their boughs laden with fruit at this time of year. The light now though was fast receding. He picked a few apples that looked particularly juicy and bright hoping to share them, eager again. 

His concern rose when he saw hide nor hair of Levi after making his way through the entire orchard. Even as twilight was drawing in, he continued to wander in the orchard, shouting Levi’s name softly. As he did so, the stables at the edge of the grounds caught his eye. He made his way over with a new found determination.

Pushing the doors open quietly, he was greeted by the quiet snuffling of horses and the light of a lantern. It was not immediately obvious but in a corner in a big pile of hay, Levi lay asleep atop his green cloak and did not stir even as Eren entered. In the dim light he could make out the softened expression of Levi's sleeping form. There was no crease in his brow and his chest rose evenly as he slept.

Eren sighed in relief. He tiptoed over and settled beside him, not quite touching him and lay down too. He shut his eyes for just a moment before sleep overtook him. He was more tired than he had realized from searching the entire Palace literally rom top to bottom. The hay was softer than expected and after a little shuffling, none too prickly. In his sleep he moved closer to the body next to him.

In the end it was Levi that awoke first at the feeling of wetness seeping on to his shoulder.

Levi stared ahead of him fully aware that it was Eren at his back. He jostled him lightly, moving his elbow experimentally.

“Mhmm,” Eren mumbled sleepily.

“Eren.”

“Mhmmmm,” he protested.

“Eren, you’re drooling on me", he said pointedly but with little annoyance in his voice.

Finally, Eren woke up enough to register what had been said, lifting a finger to trace where his drool had left his mouth.

“Sorry,” he said wondering whether he should somehow clean the damp patch on Levi’s shoulder. He settled for looking sheepish despite the fact Levi had still not turned round and speaking instead. “I’m glad I found you.”

“You were looking for me?” he said shifting onto his back to stare at the ceiling.

“Well you’ve been missing for the entire afternoon and evening.”

“I… I didn’t realise the time," he said cautiously, wondering if he would be in trouble for this.

“What are you doing out here?”

Levi ran his hand through the back of his hair, brushing out stray pieces of hay and making a half-hearted attempt to answer. He had been so tired. Every day he lay awake in bed until well after sunset and woke before dawn. No matter how tightly he shut his curtains, light seemed to seep through. In those hours he was troubled with the thought of home and how everyone he had ever known was a million miles away.

“Couldn’t sleep."

“So you chose to come out here to sleep with the horses?”

“I don’t know; it wasn’t really a decision.”

Eren gave a short laugh and one of the horses brayed startling Levi.

“We don’t really have horses Underground. Sometimes you see them at the staircases to the Surface but I’d never really seen one up close until now. I think I like them.

“We should go horse-back riding someday!”

“That sounds like fun,” he said, but his tone was noncommittal and his face gave nothing away.

“That’s my horse,” he sat up slowly, pointing at a black beauty with a white crescent “She’s called Mikasa. I share her with Jean sometimes but she likes me best.”

He couldn’t take it anymore in the face of Eren's blatant optimism. He stared at Eren, propping himself up on his elbows. “Eren, I don’t think I can stay here.”

“What do you mean? Are you cold?”

“I don’t belong here,” seeing Eren’s confusion he continued, “Not here the stables, here the palace.”

“What are you saying? You haven’t been here for more than a month,” Eren stared at him.

“A month is plenty of time,” he said looking away.

“You’re running away?”

A pregnant pause hung in the air.

“The court has rarely cared about who feels they belong. If your services are needed, you must stay by royal order,” said Eren quietly.

“Am I here by your royal order then?” Levi snapped.

“No. This was never our choice," Eren tried to place his hand on Levi's only to be batted away.

Levi felt his bottled up frustration flooding out of him. “No one trusts me here. Do you know what that feels like when your every move, your very worth, is constantly questioned?” Levi moved on top of Eren hands on either side of his head and face threateningly close. “Sometimes I think it might be better if I just prove them right.”

Eren grimaced at the weight of Levi on top of him pinning him down, very aware of the fact that Levi never left his room without his sword, but did not struggle.  
“I… I trust you.”

Levi sighed, the fight in him dissipating in a moment. Who was he kidding, there was nothing he could do but follow his duty.

“Sorry." 

Levi was not quite ready for Eren’s wordless embrace in the darkness of the stables.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am really sorry about the long wait for this chapter. I was moving, adopted a cat and school started again. I am not even entirely happy with this chapter but I didn't want anyone to wait any longer. Please give me some feedback and I'll try to edit it or write better?? Just some words of encouragement could really help haha. Feel free to check out my other story which I am considerably happier with, but just want to say I will never give up on a story. Thanks a lot for reading.


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